Twisted Ways
by ShadowPillow
Summary: When Al sacrifices himself and the philosopher's stone at the end of the first anime, he does not bring back Ed. Instead, his sacrifice was for nothing: only a homunculus remains, only a shadow of the boy named Edward Elric.
1. The Dead Can Not Be Brought Back to Life

I do not FMA. And I apologize for creating such a twisted story. It was just an idea I got... And I will continue this, along with New Lead. Chapters will probably be short.

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><p>Brother was dead.<p>

No – he couldn't be! Ed was… he was… he couldn't be…

"Brother?" the word came unheeded, echoing through my hollow, metal body. He looked at me one last time, eyes wide, blood pouring from his stomach… fell to the floor.

Dead. Ed – dead. With dead eyes. Hauntingly dead eyes…

"Brother… No! You can't die!" He couldn't, _couldn't_. "It's supposed to be me!" He couldn't, he couldn't be dead…

"Brother can't die! It's ridiculous! He wouldn't let that happen! He couldn't!" Couldn't be dead… He would never leave me like this. We were all that we had! He couldn't!

Dante's cruel whispering words.

"That's reality for you." No. No! It's not possible! "All the effort he gave got him nothing in return. You can pay all you want. It's never enough."

Never enough…

Never enough…

No. No! No! We couldn't give up now. There was still a chance…

I stood up, the stone activating inside me. Dante was telling me to stop, but no! I couldn't. I had to… Brother…

"You can't make me do anything!" I had to get to him. My brother who had always taken care of me.

"Brother hasn't been dead for long." A desperate hope, a wild hope. It had to be. Ed couldn't die. "Look, there's still some color in his cheeks! His soul is probably still at the Gate. I just have to pull it back – the same way he did for me." It would work… it _had _to.

"Don't be a fool. You know what would happen to you –"

"Yeah, I do." And I didn't care, if it meant Brother could live again. "A lot of people died to make this stone, and I would've died too, if not for them. And it's time I gave my own share, and made my own choice." For Brother.

"Alphonse…" Rose's whispering voice. She had been through so much because of us…

"Goodbye, Rose." I clapped my hands together. "This is for you, Brother." And completed the transmutation.

"I'll miss you…"

And then it was all over.

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><p>The true tragedy of this tale is not Al's sacrifice. It was that it was all for nothing.<p>

For the thing that he had created was not Edward Elric. It was only a monster with the body of the boy known as the Fullmetal Alchemist…

In other words, a homunculus.


	2. There is Never An End to It

Al is dead... Why did I write this fanfic?  
>It's a fanfic about FMA where both Ed and Al are dead... This makes no sense... I'm just going to keep on writing.<p>

*I seriously don't want Ed and Al to be dead. I cried so much on last episode and movie, but at least they ended up alive... And now I'm writing this? What? The world makes no sense*

*And yes, Ed is dead. You might not agree with me on this later, but it's like how Sloth wasn't their mother... Unless you thought that she could have been if she never died :/ Idk...*

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><p><strong>Dante POV<strong>

Alphonse had wasted the stone to make this... _thing_.

It was a shame. We'd have to start all over again, finding new homunculi and another alchemist to do our dirty work.

Or maybe this one would still do?

I crouched down next to the body. A homunculus created with the entire body still intact... Wrath had been able to preform alchemy with _his _arm and leg, so the boy should still be able to do it...

I smiled. Maybe things weren't as bad as I thought. And when the body stirred, my smile grew even more wicked.

"What? Who..." it mumbled.

"Shh... Do you remember anything?" It was how I began all my homunculi. With the desire to become human.

"Flashes... just glimpses. Al? Who is he?" But then the girl named Rose approached, interrupted me.

"Edward? You don't remember Al? He was -"

"Your own brother!" Now Wrath, too, was interfering. Wasn't the Gate supposed to have taken him away? "He gave up his life for you..." The last words were whispered, spoken in almost awe. But I couldn't let this continue. If these two fools kept on telling Ed about his past, who knows what might happen. My whole plan could be ruined.

"But he's not Edward Elric anymore." This was important, something the homunculus himself had to hear. "He is now _Pride_." A fitting name for his sin. During his lifetime, he had plenty of that. It was what had lead to his demise after all.

But suddenly, there was a huge crash ahead, ponderous footsteps making their way toward us. I felt a flicker of annoyance as I looked up. Gluttony now too? Everybody seemed intent on interfering today.

"Gluttony," I snapped. "Stop it." But the monstrosity kept on walking towards us, his tongue lolling and mouth salvating.

What was he doing? Then I realized, and my eyes widened. I had removed his mind, and now all he had left was the desire to eat...

"Wrath," I commanded, backing away slowly, my eyes watching the monster. It had been a pity that Envy disappeared through the Gate. Now I only had this _child _left. "Take the boy and let's go."

"I'm not listening to _you _anymore," he sneered. But he couldn't have moved anyway, not while missing an arm and a leg. I shook my head, and moved towards Pride. I'd just have to carry him myself -

Rose ran in front of me, one arm spread wide, her baby in the other.

"No! I won't let you take Ed!" I snarled at her stupidity. The beast was coming closer.

"Foolish girl. Can't you see Gluttony? If we stay here, we're dead!" Already we were taking too much time. I pushed past the girl and picked up the boy myself. Heavy, for one so small.

"I can..." the boy's mumbled faded, and now I dashed out of the ballroom to outside, in the underground city. Even with my hundred years of experience, I couldn't help the flicker of fear that the monstrosity would follow me - the moment I had escaped I sealed the doorway with alchemy.

Somehow, those two fools had made it alongside me, Wrath using Rose as a crutch. I hissed.

"Go away. I have no need for you two any longer." A foolish girl, and a cripple. The former could have been used as a new body, but now, that could awaken too many memories for the new homunculus. Too risky.

"No!" The girl was stubborn. "I won't let you take Ed!"

But then Gluttony crashed through the wall I had created over the doorway, and all reason fled.

No matter what, I could not be eaten, to share the same fate as all those _humans _who had been fed to Gluttony. No, I had been the one who had achieved _immortality_, and this demented creation of mine would not stop me now.

Nevertheless, I had fled, leaving the homunculi and one girl behind.

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><p>Okay, I lied. I'm actually having fun writing this. Otherwise I wouldn't be writing it. Obviously. I think I'm just choosing to deny that Ed and Al are dead at this point... and it becomes more about the other characters.<p>

There. I admitted my evilness. You happy now? *but I seriously did cry every time I watched that last episode*

Please review, love, favorite, follow, etcetera. Or hate it. As long as you're reading this exact line right here. (I thought about copying the whole line with the copying part, and then decided that I wouldn't be able to figure out when to end it, and infinity's a pretty long length)

Next chapter may come soon. I already wrote the first word of it.

Here's a spoiler. That word is : "Rose". :)

Have an awesome life, and enjoy many virtual cookies. Or shout at the images of chocolate cookies on the internet in frustration. That works too :)

And please, review or PM me any ideas. So far I have that Ed needs red stones to live. And a whole bunch of other psycological problems, with both him and the other characters.

I hope you enjoyed? In a weird, sadistic, evil way. That at least.


	3. We're Not Alive, Rose

See? Told you "Rose" was the first word. Hehe (three times over)

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><p><strong>Rose POV<strong>

Rose didn't know what to do with Edward.

He wasn't human - that much was clear by now. Just ten minutes ago, he had saved both of them from Gluttony, even being _bitten _at one point, but the flesh had just sown itself back together. Somehow she had convinced them to run away into a small house nearby, but the sight had disturbed her.

Ed wasn't _human._ Or was he even Ed at all anymore?

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><p><strong>Wrath POV<strong>

Rose was panicking, I knew. She kept on glancing suspiciously at Ed... no... _Pride_, and then back at the door, as if expecting Gluttony to suddenly barge in.

And then there was the new homunculus himself.

He kept on glancing around from his position on the floor, wide-eyed and scared. And like a broken track record, he kept on asking who he was, _what _he was, why we were looking at him like that... and about the Gate.

The Gate. The place of damnation, a living Hell. And now this man who had _murdered _my mother... He now knew the terror of it too. Not like a traipsing alchemist trying to bring Mommy back to life, but as a homunculus.

But no. This wasn't him at all. This wasn't the one who had killed her. _He _was dead, and now there was only -

A baby's wail.

No - no! The Gate! It was -!

Not here. I glared at Rose.

"Will you shut that thing up?" Now she set her frightened eyes on me, and I snarled. The baby wailed again. "Shut up!" But she was already taking care of the demented thing, making soothing noises and rocking it side to side. I growled.

"Just keep that thing away from me." Instead of nodding obediently though, as she had done so many times at the mansion, the woman's eyes flared with anger.

"_Thing? _This is my baby! If you can't stand her crying, then leave!" Now, I glanced down, down at the stump where a leg had once been.

"I can't," I said shortly, and wished I had regenerative abilities like Greed, and apparently the new Pride. But I doubted it would have helped. The Gate had taken those limbs away from me, and even _his _automail didn't seem to be sprouting new limbs.

"I'm sorry." I looked back up in surprise at the woman.

"Sorry for what? Forgetting I'm a cripple?" I laughed, but then it soon became strangled sobs. The woman came up to me, patting me on the back reassuringly, but I shrugged her off.

"I'm sorry..." she said again, looking up at the ceiling. "I'm sorry for everything. You lost your mother, didn't you?" Suddenly, the homunculus beside us stirred again, and we jumped, still on edge.

"Mother..." he whispered, and I took the opportunity to change the subject.

"He'll probably need red stones," I said casually.

"What?"

"It's a homunculus thing. You don't think he could go without any energy after fighting Gluttony, did you? That healing trick he did probably sapped him out of whatever he had from being created." I stared at the shaking body as I spoke. He was so pitiful like this...

"Red stones? What are they?" Then I was staring at her with shock. She didn't know?

Of course not. Dante never would've told someone like _her_ such a dirty secret.

"They're... They're like the philosopher's stone." Obviously, she knew about _that_, judging by her startled gasp. "Made out of human lives. Like an energy source for us homunculi. We can go for awhile without needing any, but like I said..." I gestured to the body. He's not in a very good shape. Right now, he could die as easily as you."

"You can't die?" she asked, sounding dazed. I grinned, showing all my pointy teeth.

"Of course I can. It's just very, very hard to kill me." But then the thought of Gluttony prowling the streets, tracking us down, made me shudder. "That _monster _probably could though." How long would it be before he found us, hiding in this house so close to the ballroom?

"I guess it doesn't matter anyway. We're going to die soon." There was no reason to wondering about some far-off future anymore.

"Don't say that!" Rose exclaimed, and I smiled weakly at her. She really was an optimist, wasn't she?

"You could still escape," I offered. "You and your baby." Pride couldn't move, and neither could I. She was better off without us. Rose, however, looked horrified at the suggestion.

"And leave you two?" I laughed again, a harsh and bitter sound.

"It's not much of a life, is it? We're not even real people anyway. We're homunculi, Rose. Just go and save yourself."

"But..." She glanced at Pride. Ah, so it was _him _stopping her. Not poor, crippled me.

"He's not really Ed, you know." They were words she needed to hear, to finally face reality instead of the illusion she seemed to be clinging to. "I should know. I'm a homunculus too, remember?"

"But..." Now her voice was weak, so I only pressed on, to drive to point home.

"He's never combing back. _Ed is dead. _They're both dead. So stop dreaming and go!" I shouted.

And she went, tears falling down her face.

Only two homunculi left.

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><p>Somehow I had forgotten about Rose's baby... sorry I'll edit the previous chapters and add in minor mentions. Like Rose can't have both her arms spread wide if she's holding a baby, duh.<p>

Next chapter has some Ed/homunculus POV. I already wrote some of it, but now I really have to do homework :/ *it's 9:30 PM and I still have a lot...*

Have a terrible life :)

*No I'm just joking. Have an awesome one (lol)*


	4. Everything Was Going to be All Right

Many, many POV's, each very short. Next chapter won't be jumping around like this XD

Enjoy :)

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><p><strong>EdPride POV**

The black-haired boy sitting against the wall was talking to me.

"We're the only two left now, huh. Just you and me, Pride."

Pride? Was that me?

I tried to ask, but no sound came out.

Too weak. I needed…

Something.

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><p><strong>Wrath POV<strong>

I had decided to spent the rest of my miserable life rambling to a half-dead homunculus.

"You know, all I ever wanted was to be with Mommy…"

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><p><strong>Rose POV<strong>

Rose ran as fast as she could.

Maybe… _maybe_, if she could get to Central Headquarters and tell them where Ed and Wrath were, she could save them. Then she wouldn't have to deal with this guilt.

Somehow, she managed to run faster.

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><p><strong>Riza POV<strong>

_I have to get back to Roy… Something had gone wrong…_

She, too, was running. And when Riza Hawkeye found Roy collapsed on the Fuhrer's doorstep with Selim Bradley's dead body in his arms, she could only assume the worst.

"General! General!" He didn't reply. There was a pool of blood around him… "Damn it! Roy Mustang! Talk to me!"

And then the body stirred.

He was alive. Thank God, he was alive…

Everything was going to be all right.

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><p><strong>Rose POV<strong>

She arrived at Headquarters, but no one would listen to her. They were all running around, some even _crying_, saying that the Fuhrer was dead, the Fuhrer was dead…

And nobody cared about Ed.

Rose fell to her knees, baby still cradled in her arms.

She had run away.

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><p><strong>EdPride POV**

…

There were noises, coming closer. The boy had heard them too, because he had stiffened. But he didn't do anything. He couldn't, I knew, because he only had one leg.

…

Why did that bother me? There were flashes, glimpses…

A suit of armor. The Gate.

What did it mean?

The door opened, like an answer to my prayers.

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><p>Two words: Guess who?<p>

XD


	5. Once Upon a Time

**Ed/Pride POV**

"...Ed?" The new boy, tall with blonde hair, spoke. There was a shorter boy behind him, perhaps brothers...

Brothers? Again the image of the suit of armor flashed through my mind. I pushed it away. That wasn't important now; here was somebody who could explain, know what to do.

"Ed? Is that you?" The boy's eyes flickered to Wrath then back at me.

At me? But Wrath had called me Pride...

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><p><strong>Wrath POV<strong>

"Who are you?" I snarled at the two strangers. The younger boy hid behind the older, as if he would protect him. From _me_. A little boy missing an arm and leg.

But they weren't Gluttony, and I allowed myself the relief from the terror that had been building up in me. There were two of them; we now had a chance to survive.

I glanced at Pride. Had they known him, before he died? Good, that would be an advantage. They wouldn't want to leave a friend behind, even if he's now a homunculus. But they didn't have to know about _that_.

I felt the insane grin tugging at my lips, and I let it, enjoying the shocked expressions of the two boys.

We were going to live.

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><p><strong>Russell POV<strong>

Fletcher and I had finally followed Ed into the underground city after hours of waiting. I had told the idiot to come back, but I knew Ed had never been to keen on following orders. He would take his time and come back, only after making us sweat, with that cocky grin on his face...

At least that was what I had told myself. In reality, I knew he wouldn't make us worry like that if he was really fine. And if that was true...

Ed was probably dead.

But when we finally entered the ruins, we had followed voices to a house where we found him, still in one piece. What worried me though was that he wasn't moving, barely even reacting to us entering. And then there was that little girl with him, a little girl with pointy teeth and mysterious red lines running down her body, a little girl missing exactly the same limbs that Ed was missing.

I shivered and held out my hand in front of Fletcher protectively.

"My name is Russell," I finally said, still uneasy. "Russell Tringham. And this is Fletcher. What happend to Ed?" Her eyes shifted to the blond, and the grin fell slightly.

"He... got into a fight. But we need to go, _now_, before Gluttony finds us. Can you help us out of here?" I frowned, but slowly nodded. I wasn't quite sure what was going on, but Ed needed the help. I owed him that, at least.

I walked towards the unmoving body on the ground.

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><p><strong>EdPride POV**

"Ed?" It was that name again, coming from the boy called Russell. Why was he calling me that? "I'm going to pick you up now. Can you move at all?"

He must've taken my blank look for a "no", because soon hands were lifting me up, a grunt of surprise at finding such a heavy weight in such a small body.

Small body...

That meant something to me, didn't it?

Didn't it?

I couldn't think... my mind was so confused, scrambled...

The world descended into fog, and nothing made sense anymore.

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><p>AN: Next chapter things will finally pick up. Sorry about these two last chapters, a bit slow and just jumping around. Next should be when everything starts happening.


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